The present invention relates generally to modified poker card games, and more particularly, to an apparatus, computer tangible medium storing computer-executable instructions, and a method of playing an extended hand modified video poker game.
The state gaming control boards of Nevada and New Jersey (which have traditionally been slow to approve any new games or gambling concepts) have changed their philosophy so dramatically that, today, they actively encourage the trial and acceptance of new games and gambling concepts. The problem with introducing new games has always been the basic criteria for mass-market gambling:
Game rules must be easy to learn.
Strategies must be easy to master and not favor xe2x80x9cthe expertxe2x80x9d disproportionately.
Games must have a short duration between the start (the bet) and the finish (the payoff).
The payoff structure, that is, what can be won by a lucky player, must be enticing.
The game must be fair; the casino should not have an unreasonable advantage.
The game must be xe2x80x9csecure,xe2x80x9d that is, protected from cheating and tampering.
The casino""s xe2x80x9cwinxe2x80x9d must be demonstrated to be worthwhile, that is, the xe2x80x9cwin per machine per monthxe2x80x9d must at least compare favorably to that of the xe2x80x9cslots.xe2x80x9d
Over the years, there have been many different types of games that have attempted to satisfy the demands of the gaming industry. These games have ranged the gamut from those involving great mental prowess to games involving merely chance. Nevertheless, there is still a strong interest in games that create real excitement.
One such game is poker, a mainstay in the gambling world. Traditional five or seven card poker often uses the following rank order of winning hands from highest to lowest: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, and xe2x80x9cJacks or better.xe2x80x9d Typically, more than one player are each dealt a poker hand by one player who acts as the dealer. The player with the highest hand according to the established rank order wins.
xe2x80x9cSTUDxe2x80x9d poker, one variation of five card poker, provides each player with five cards, forming a hand. If the players are separately playing against the dealer, naturally, each player attempts to beat the dealer or to obtain one of a predetermined collection of winning hands, such as those in the above-mentioned rank order. Often, a payoff for a given winning hand is inversely proportional to the probability of attaining that hand.
The disadvantage of xe2x80x9cSTUDxe2x80x9d poker is that each player must single-handedly ascertain each and every possible winning card combination, not to mention its associated payoff. Also, there is no opportunity to improve on a hand that has been dealt. Further, a poker hand, once it has been played has no bearing on a subsequent poker hand. Consequently, no continuous strategy need be or may be developed across a number of hands.
xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker permits a player to make a single discard, whereby one or more of the cards selected by the player are replaced by the dealer. A discard provides an opportunity to the player to increase the value of his hand. Typically, only one discard per round is permitted. Plainly, xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker increases the probability of obtaining a winning hand. To offset the probability of an improved hand, often the dealer reduces the payoff for any such wining hand by a constant amount.
However, like xe2x80x9cSTUDxe2x80x9d poker, a disadvantage to xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker is that the player must single-handedly ascertain each and every possible winning card combination and its associated payoff. Also, any one poker hand has no effect on a subsequent poker hand. Thus, as in xe2x80x9cSTUDxe2x80x9d poker, a xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker player need not develop a strategy to be implemented over the play of more than one hand.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,128, incorporated herein by reference, discloses a method of playing Hi-Hi-Lo Poker. A player is dealt six cards and must divide them into a one-card high ranking hand, a two-card high ranking hand, and a three-card low ranking hand. The player may submit a wager for each of the three hands. The player""s one-card, two-card, and three-card hands are compared against a bank player""s respective one-card, two-card, and three-card hands. Like xe2x80x9cSTUDxe2x80x9d poker, the player is not permitted to discard any of the six dealt cards. Like xe2x80x9cSTUDxe2x80x9d poker and xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker, any one round of three hands has no relation to the outcome of a subsequent round of three hands.
Recently, electronic video poker gaming devices have been developed, placing traditional xe2x80x9cSTUDxe2x80x9d poker and xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker in an exciting multimedia environment. Various attempts have been made to enhance play of poker in the new environment over the years. Examples of such attempts are described in the following U.S. patent references, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,743,022; Wood
U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,134; Suttle et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,049; Tomaszewski
U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,137; Fulton
U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,109; Gumina
U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,915; Miller
U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,128; Marquez
U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,194; Wolf
U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,025; Sklansky et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,199; Gumina
U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,404; Joshi et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,407; Hofberg et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,451; Fulton
Yet, these attempts suffer from flaws similar to those of traditional poker games. That is, heretofore, the gaming environment has frustrated poker players. Seemingly frequent losing hands, and, in turn, seemingly frequent lost wagers, detract from the optimal gaming environment. Worse still, depending on the type of poker, players have little or no control over the eventual outcome of a hand.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,025 discloses a method of playing a variation of poker. A dealer deals three two-card hands face-up. A player selects one of the three hands. The dealer then deals five communal cards face-up. The three hands are then compared, in conjunction with the five communal cards, to determine the winning hand. The two cards from each hand are used along with the best three of the five communal cards for those two cards to achieve the highest poker hand. The player wins if his selected two-card hand is part of the winning poker hand among the three highest poker hands for the respective originally dealt two-card hands. Little or no strategy can be used to win this game because the player must determine, without seeing the subsequently dealt five communal cards, which of three two-card hands will ultimately develop the winning five card hand. Also, no one poker hand has any impact on a subsequent poker hand. Hence, no continuous strategy can be implemented across more than one round.
Accordingly, we have determined that it would be desirable to provide an improved poker game that creates a higher perceived sense of winning than conventional poker games. The player ought to feel that he is winning more often and that the runs of wins are extended relative to conventional poker games. If this can be achieved, the comparative difference in time between subsequent losses and between subsequent wins makes the losses forgettable to the engrossed player. In an optimal gaming environment, such a perceived sense is precisely what should be felt by the player.
Additionally, we have determined that it would be desirable to provide an improved poker game that enables the player to exhibit some control over the eventual outcome of the total payoffs in a round of poker, based on skillful choices of card combinations having payoffs.
It is a feature and an advantage to the present invention to provide an improved modified poker game that creates a higher perceived sense of winning than conventional poker games.
It is another feature and advantage to the present invention to provide an improved modified poker game that enables the player to exhibit some control over the eventual outcome of the total payoffs in a round of poker, based on skillful and/or risk related choices of payable card combinations in multiple hands in the round.
It is another feature and advantage of the present invention in providing an improved modified card game which may be implemented in a stand-alone environment.
It is another feature and advantage of the present invention in providing an improved modified card game that is exciting and fast to play.
It is another feature and advantage of the present invention in providing a modified card game which provides the player or players the opportunity to increase their winnings. In addition, the present invention optionally and advantageously provides the player with the feature of increasing their winnings with additional risk of loss, including current winnings. Thus, in the present invention, a bonus-like opportunity is provided the player to increase their winnings, making the modified poker game unexpectedly and substantially more exciting than other games.
To achieve the features and advantages of the present invention, an improved video poker apparatus is provided. The apparatus has a display. The invention includes first means for generating a hand including at least five playing cards and for displaying the hand on the display. The invention also includes second means for generating a predetermined number or all payable subsets of the hand and for displaying the payable subsets on the display. A universe of payable subsets includes, in order of increasing amount of payoff, xe2x80x9cjacks or better,xe2x80x9d two pairs, three of a kind, straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, seven card straight, straight flush, seven card flush, royal flush, and seven card straight flush, although any suitable ranking scheme may in fact be used. The apparatus has third means for enabling a user to choose a desired subset from the displayed payable subsets. Fourth means is provided for replacing playing cards in the chosen subset with an equal number of additional playing cards and for displaying the additional playing cards on the display alongside the playing cards not in the chosen subset. The invention also includes fifth means for restarting the first and second means after the subset is chosen, if there is at least one displayed payable subset.
The inventive apparatus preferably includes a slot for accepting a wager and sixth means for selecting among several payoff tables including a first payoff table and a second payoff table. The first payoff table has a higher payoff than the second payoff table for each of the possible payable card combination subsets.
The instant invention may include seventh means for maintaining a total credit tally by summing consecutive payoffs, and for displaying the total credit tally on said display.
The apparatus may have a bus connecting a microprocessor, read only memory, and random access memory. The read only memory may store a computer program for controlling operation of the microprocessor and may include the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth means. The random access memory may include current game data.
The third means may include a left button to programmably move a highlighted region of the display to the left, a right button to programmably move the highlighted region of the display to the right, and a select button to programmably select the highlighted region including a single highlighted subset of the displayed payable subsets. Alternatively, the third means may include a touch-sensitive display so as to permit selection of the desired payable subset by touching the display. Advantageously, according to this alternative, the present invention creates a separate touch-sensitive display button or virtual button corresponding to each of the payable subsets to be displayed.
The criteria for displaying payable subsets for selection by the player or players may include displaying all payable subsets, displaying a predetermined number of best or worst subsets, displaying a predetermined number of randomly selected subsets, and the like. That is, there is no requirement in the present invention that all payable subsets be displayed for selection by the player. Rather, this determination may be game specific, user selectable, or predetermined.
The payoff table, which associates payable card combination subsets to respective payoffs, may be found above the display. Optionally, the read only memory may include the payoff table so that the payoff table can be read therefrom and displayed on the display.
In an another embodiment, computer-executable video poker instructions can be provided in a computer-readable medium. The instructions include the following steps:
(a) initializing a credit tally;
(b) dealing at least five playing cards from the deck(s) of cards to begin a round of video poker;
(c) determining payable subsets of the at least five playing cards;
(d) displaying all of the payable subsets, if the subsets exist;
(e) ending the round of video poker, if the payable subsets do not exist;
(f) prompting a user to choose one of the displayed payable subsets;
(g) determining which of the displayed payable subsets is chosen by the user;
(h) adding a payoff associated with the chosen payable subset to the credit tally;
(i) replacing cards in the chosen payable subset with an equal number of playing cards; and
(j) repeating steps (c) through (i).
Seven playing cards may be used to create a poker hand. Alternatively, any number of playing cards may be used to build a poker like hand. For example, four, five six or eight cards may be used in the present invention. The computer-executable instructions may include the steps of determining whether sufficient money has been deposited. Also, the instructions may include associating the deposited money with a respective payoff table from which the payoff for the chosen payable subset is obtained. The respective payoff table may have a universe of payable card combinations including xe2x80x9cJacks or better,xe2x80x9d two pairs, three of a kind, straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, seven card straight, straight flush, and seven card straight flush, and the like.
The present invention may also be used with designated wild cards in the standard deck of cards, one or more decks of cards having more or less than the number of cards in a standard deck, or additional wild cards as well, such as jokers. In this instance, the potentiality of obtaining even higher card hands, such as five of a kind requires the payoff table to be accommodated therefor.
The inventive instructions may preferably include randomly generating the cards which are initially dealt to the player, and which are subsequently replaced upon selection of player of a payable card hand.
The instructions may include returning the cards in a chosen payable subset to the deck(s), or include removing the cards in the chosen payable subset from the deck(s) for the rest of the round.
The computer-executable instructions may include upgrading the payoff table, upon deposit by the user of additional money, so that the universe of payable card combinations expands to include three pairs, double three of kind, super full house, which is three of a kind and four of a kind, and super royal flush, which is a seven card straight flush with an ace as a highest card. Either or both the super full house and the super royal flush has a payoff including an optional progressive jackpot or bonus. In addition, as indicated above, the present invention optionally uses wild cards to further increase the possibility of obtaining card hands of higher rank, and/or potentially greater or perceived to be greater winnings.
In another embodiment of the instant invention, a method of playing poker includes the following steps:
(a) initializing a credit tally;
(b) dealing at least five playing cards from the deck(s) of cards to begin a round of video poker;
(c) determining payable subsets of the at least five playing cards;
(d) displaying all of the payable subsets, if the subsets exist;
(e) ending the round of video poker, if the payable subsets do not exist;
(f) prompting a user to choose one of the displayed payable subsets;
(g) determining which of the displayed payable subsets is chosen by a user;
(h) adding a payoff associated with the chosen payable subset to the credit tally;
(i) replacing cards in the chosen payable subset with an equal number of playing cards; and
(j) repeating steps (c) through (i).
The method may also include the step of determining whether sufficient money has been deposited before proceeding to step (a). Also, the instant method may include associating the deposited money with a respective payoff table from which the payoff for the chosen payable subset is obtained. When seven playing cards are used, the respective payoff table may have a universe of payable card combinations including xe2x80x9cJacks or better,xe2x80x9d two pairs, three of a kind, straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, seven card straight, straight flush, and seven card straight flush.
The poker playing method may include returning the cards in a chosen payable subset to the deck(s), or include removing the cards in the chosen payable subset from the deck(s) for the rest of the round.
The method may include upgrading the payoff table, upon deposit by the user of additional money, so that the universe of payable card combinations expands to include three pairs, double three of kind, super full house, which is three of a kind and four of a kind, and super royal flush, which is a seven card straight flush with an ace as a highest card. At least one of the super full house and the super royal flush has a payoff including a progressive jackpot.
Alternatively, the invention can include a video poker apparatus. The apparatus may have a display including a generated hand of poker and a plurality of buttons for enabling a user to select a winning subset of the generated hand of poker. The display may include generated replacement playing cards only for playing cards in the winning subset. The apparatus may be implemented using a standard personal computer, in a standard stand-alone environment or in a standard networked environment.
In another embodiment, the invention can include a method of playing poker having the following steps of:
(a) playing a winning subset of a poker hand, unless no winning subset thereof exists;
(b) replacing playing cards in the winning subset of the hand with an equal number of new playing cards; and
(c) repeating steps (a) and (b).